Analysis: Apartments snapped up as fast as they're built

In the Star Tribune article: "Apartments snapped up as fast as they're built," the writer begins with a lead that sets the stage for what sounds like a booming rental market. The subheadline reads: "Demographic and economic changes are driving explosive growth in metro rental market," when I read this I expected the article to dig a little deeper on the subject. The author does provide numbers and statistics, but none of them, in my opinion, illustrate demographic or economic change. In the third paragraph he provides a quote from an elated property manger who has 100 percent occupancy. The author then tells of the year before, which added 300 rental units and compares it to this coming year which is expected to add 2,300 rental units.

He provides the specific percent of vacant rental units--2.9 percent--and describes the market's past trajectory and future projections. He plays two tenors against each other: one of property managers happy with the market, and another warning that the new influx of rental units could offset demand.

He adds direct quotes from a woman who before the recession would most likely be in the market for a permanent home, but because of the current situation she and her nascent family have settled on a newly built apartment.

The article covers the rental landscape very well, and the multiple views he provides paint a full picture of the rental market. He ends the article with a quote from the woman whose family has been living in the new apartment. She loves the apartment and the fact that she is not tethered to it for the next 30 years.